Educational pull toy



y 56 A. M. ZALKIND 2,747,324

EDUCATIONAL PULL TOY Filed April 1953 FIE--1 INVENTOR United States Patent EDUCATIONAL PULL TOY Albert M. Zalkind, Arlington, Va.

Application April 2, 1953, Serial No. 346,428

4 Claims. (CI. 46-17) This invention relates to pull toys and more particularly to a pull toy comprising a plurality of units which a child can attach to each other in tandem.

It is an object of the invention to provide a toy affording training in manual dexterity. It is a further object to provide a toy affording training in recognition of common shapes. It is an additional object to provide a toy for a very young child having a high degree of play value and from which the child can learn the rudiments of assembling objects in a predetermined order.

The invention comprises a plurality of units, such as a tugboat and a pair of barges which can be coupled by a small child by means of flexible couplings, such as pieces of string having ends secured to blocks of familiar geometric shape. The blocks can be slidably accommodated in sockets of corresponding shape formed in the pull toy units. Thus, the blocks are of such forms as squares, triangles, diamonds, etc. in horizontal cross section, and are interfitted in sockets provided fore and aft of the pull toy units. By so arranging the dimensions of the blocks and the sockets the correct block must be placed in the correct socket, in order to assemble the toy. In other words, a triangular block will not fit in a square socket, etc.

While I am aware that various types of profile block toys have heretofore been made and marketed, all of them consist of receptacles in which profile blocks are dropped and then removed, in a repetitive process. In the present invention, an advance in the art is made to the extent that by virtue of interfitting of the blocks and sockets an actual result is obtained; namely, the coupling of a series of pull toy units resulting in an assembled toy with which a child can play.

I am also aware that it has been heretofore known to couple pull toy units by means of interfitting fore and aft portions in the forms of lugs and sockets formed directly and integral with the material of the units. Such arrangement, however, does not have the advantages of the particular type of coupling provided for in the present invention, either educationally or from the standpoint of play value. An important distinction is the fact that the use of string or other flexible elements as incorporated in my invention for the couplings provides a margin of safety for toys in the hands of very young children who are known to give such toys very rough usage.

My invention will now be described in detail in conjunction with the appended drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a series of pull toy units coupled in tandem.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the series.

Fig. 3 is a section through 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section in perspective through one of the units as taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

2,747,324 Patented May 29, 1956 ice Fig. 5 is a group perspective of various blocks as used with the toy, while Figs. 6 through 9 are perspectives of individual blocks.

With reference to the drawing, my invention comprises, in this instance, a miniature tugboat 10 and a pair of barges 12 and 14. Flexible coupling strings 16 and 18 serve to secure the units to each other for towing along a floor F. The string 16 is secured to a block 22 which is square in horizontal cross section and is also secured to a block 26 which is rectangular. The blocks fit into correspondingly shaped sockets 22' and 26 formed in the hulls of units 10 and 12 as shown. An easy slidable fit is provided so that a child will have no difliculty in making the insertions. While there are many ways of attaching the string ends to the blocks, one mode is by the use of staples 30 to which the string ends are knotted.

In a similar manner, the coupling string 18 has a triangular block 34 secured to one end and a diamond shaped block 36 secured to the other. Thus, block 34 fits a triangularly shaped socket 34' in the aft portion of barge 12 while block 36 fits into a diamond shaped socket 36 in the fore portion of barge 14.

The dimensions of the several sockets are such that the blocks will only fit into their correspondingly shaped sockets, except in the instance of the square block 24 which could be placed in the rectangular socket 26' although it could not be used for towing in this condition because block 26 would not fit into socket 24. In any event, it will be appreciated that the rectangular cross section dimensions of socket 26 and block 26 could be changed so that block 24 would not fit therein.

The barges are preferably formed with scooped out center portions 40 to hold small objects which a child may desire to use as cargo.

In order to add play value to the toy, a pilot house 44 and smoke stack 46 are provided removably insertable in appropriately shaped holes in the tug, and preferably smoke stack 46 is made hollow with a small whistle built therein simulating the sound of a fog horn. Thus a child can lift out the smoke stack and blow through it when he desires. A cylindrical block 48 is also provided at the rear of barge 40 insertable in a cylindrical socket to complete the outfit.

It will be appreciated that my invention may be varied in many ways without departing from the spirit thereof, and accordingly I do not seek to be limited to the specific embodiment herein except as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pull toy comprising a plurality of units to be assembled in tandem, and comprising at least three units, the aft portion of the first of said units being provided with a socket of predetermined shape, the forward portion of the second of said units being provided with a socket of a difiierent shape, the aft portion of said second unit being provided with a socket of a further different shape, and the forward portion of the third unit being provided with a socket of yet another shape, in-

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 10,063 Carpenter Mar. 14, 1882 850,514 Benson Apr. 16, 1907 2,132,647 Robins Oct. 11, 1938 OTHER REFERENCES Article on page 151 of Popular Science, Nov. 1946. 

